ISU Men’s Basketball Releases Non-Conference Schedule

Written by WZND Newsroom on September 1, 2021

Image courtesy of goredbirds.com

NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State men’s basketball released its non-conference schedule Wednesday, which includes a trip to Cancun and a true road game against a Big Ten Conference foe for the second straight season.

The Redbirds will open their season on Nov. 9 as they welcome North Carolina-Wilmington of the Colonial Athletic Association to Redbird Arena. Six more home games round out the Redbirds home non-conference schedule including matchups against Murray State (Nov. 16), Bucknell (Nov. 20), Division II Purdue Northwest (Nov. 27), Jackson State (Dec. 4), Ball State (Dec. 18) and Texas-San Antonio (Dec. 21).

ISU is scheduled to play Saint Louis on Nov. 23 in the first round of the Cancun Challenge, an annual holiday tournament consisting of an eight-team field with games played at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya. The second-round game the following day will see the Redbirds facing off against Buffalo or Stephen F. Austin.

In perhaps what will be their toughest contest of the non-conference slate, the Redbirds will travel north to Madison to take on Wisconsin at the Kohl Center on Dec. 29. The Badgers made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season before losing to Baylor. Other road games on the schedule involve Eastern Michigan on Nov. 12 and Chicago State on Dec. 11.

With an open date remaining, Dan Muller and the Redbirds could still add one more game to the schedule in the future.

Here is the Redbirds full non-conference schedule:

Nov. 9 vs. UNCW (Redbird Arena)

Nov. 12 at Eastern Michigan (EMU Convocation Center)

Nov. 16 vs. Murray State (Redbird Arena)

Nov. 20 vs. Bucknell (Redbird Arena)

Nov. 23 vs. Saint Louis (Riviera Maya, Mexico)

Nov. 24 vs. TBD (Riviera Maya, Mexico)

Nov. 27 vs. Purdue Northwest (Redbird Arena)

Dec. 4 vs. Jackson State (Redbird Arena)

Dec. 11 at Chicago State (Jones Convocation Center)

Dec. 18 vs. Ball State (Redbird Arena)